Wednesday, August 27, 2003

By Mike White, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Anthony Morelli plays on a grass field at Penn Hills. Andrew Johnson plays on a synthetic surface at North Hills. But this fall, Morelli and Johnson have their feet on common ground.

	Above: Anthony Morelli has been Penn Hills' starting quarterback since his freshman year. Below: Andrew Johnson will spend his senior season at North Hills after transferring from Central Catholic. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette photos) Click photo for larger image.

The proving ground.

Morelli and Johnson come into their senior seasons with gigantic reputations. Both were recruited heavily by major colleges before making verbal commitments to Pitt this summer. Both are ranked among the top 10 players in the country at their respective positions. Morelli is the strong-armed quarterback whose passes can dent an armored truck. Johnson is the running back with sprinter's speed.

You'll be scratching your head trying to figure out the previous time the WPIAL had a quarterback and running back so highly rated in the same year.

Now, Morelli and Johnson must prove they're worthy of the hype.

Despite all the publicity and lofty rankings, there are questions about these two. Morelli has been inconsistent at times and has not played well in some big games. His arm strength is something to behold, but some opposing coaches and scouting services question his decision-making and ability to read defenses.

Johnson, meanwhile, has been hurt often in his career. Some have questioned his toughness and his ability to run between the tackles. Plus, he's coming off a mediocre junior season at Central Catholic. He transferred to North Hills last November.

Morelli and Johnson aren't deaf to the critics. They know the knocks against them, and they know this is a season to distinguish themselves and to quiet people who say they're overrated.

	BY THE NUMBERS Year-by-year statistics for Anthony Morelli and Andrew Johnson: Anthony Morelli Yr. Com. Att. Yds TDs Fr. 46 142 786 5 So. 51 113 1,039 16 Jr. 75 151 1,770 20 Andrew Johnson Yr. Att. Yds. Avg. TDs So. 174 1,690 9.7 23 Jr. 114 704 6.2 8

"We definitely have things to prove," Johnson said. "We have to step up to the plate. There are things that both of us haven't done that we should've done. I haven't put up that great of numbers and Anthony hasn't put great numbers yet. This is our last year, and now's the time to do it."

Morelli said, "I guess you could say there's always something to prove. I have to go out there and live up to all this stuff."

North Hills Coach Jack McCurry summed up the great expectations for Morelli and Johnson.

"You can't just talk about potential all the time," McCurry said. "Now, they have to be able to do it -- and that remains to be seen."

Physical gifts

There are two main reason colleges across the country offered Morelli scholarships: His arm and his size. He is 6 feet 4, 210 pounds with an arm already as good as major-college quarterbacks. Rivals100.com ranks him the No. 2 quarterback in the country, TheInsiders.com No. 3 and Super Prep magazine No. 6.

"I find it hard to believe there's too much room for improvement with his physical talents," said Penn Hills Coach Neil Gordon. "The area he needs to improve on is the mental area."

In July, Morelli attended the Elite 11 camp in California. The camp included 11 top quarterbacks around the country, and observers at the camp felt Morelli had the best arm.

"We talked to every kid at that camp and we asked them to rate the quarterbacks that were there," said Allen Wallace, editor of Super Prep magazine. "Probably every kid there ranked Morelli in the top five and every kid said he had the strongest arm. But Morelli was thought to be the weakest in terms of picking up defenses to read. In a sense, that's good because it shows he has a pretty good upside if he puts it all together. But the question is, will he?"

	More on Class AAAA Online Chart: Best in the Backfield Quad North: Littlejohn's new attitude helps Butler Quad South: Speedy King will carry load for Gators Quad East: Woodland Hills reloads at RB with Brinson Quad West: Montecalvo finds a new home 2003 High School Football Preview

Morelli can look spectacular in camps or 7-on-7 scrimmages without pads.

"When you go against him in 7-on-7 games, you lose," McCurry said. "But the game is not 7-on-7. In games, you have to do things to disrupt his comfort zone, like mixing up coverages. If he gets in a comfort zone, he's head and shoulders above everyone."

Morelli has been Penn Hills' starting quarterback since his freshman year.

"We've had times in the last couple of years where receivers have been wide open and Anthony overthrew them," Gordon said. "We've had times when Anthony has hit them, and the receivers have dropped it."

Last year, Morelli completed 75 of 151 passes for 1,770 yards and 20 touchdowns. There were games when he looked excellent. Other times, he looked like just another quarterback. Three of Penn Hills' biggest games last year were against Central Catholic, Woodland Hills and North Hills. In those contests, Morelli was 8 of 34 for 120 yards and five interceptions. In Morelli's defense, the Woodland Hills game was played in a rainstorm.

Morelli doesn't feel like he comes up short in big games.

"There were a lot of games where I came through and we won the game. But people don't say anything about that," Morelli said. "It's just because we haven't beaten Woodland Hills. But that's all right. We'll get them soon.

"We do things a little differently here. We're not a big passing team. When I get down to Pitt, Coach [Walt] Harris will teach me all the things I need to learn and I'll be fine."

Morelli averaged 23.6 yards a completion last year and had a number of long touchdown passes. His favorite target was David Harvey, and Harvey is only a junior this season. Penn Hills could have a nice passing game again -- if an inexperienced line comes through.

"We're going to be dependent on what's going on up front," Gordon said. "I don't think Anthony wins or loses games for us by himself. If you're one of the top quarterbacks in the country, as soon as something fails on offense, naturally they're going to say it's the quarterback. But it's not always his fault.

"He can't do everything by himself, but considering that glass house he's now living in, he's going to take the blame."

Wallace said, "Morelli is rated very highly right now -- and for good reason. But if he doesn't improve in some things, he won't be ranked as high after the season."

Is he tough enough?

Super Prep ranks Johnson the No. 9 running back in the country. TheInsiders.com also ranks him No. 9. Coincidentally, Johnson is wearing No. 9 at North Hills this season.

There is a certain reverence that goes with the No. 9 at North Hills. That was LaVar Arrington's number when he played for the Indians.

"When I got here, I wanted a single-digit number and 9 was the only one left," Johnson said. "People were like, 'Are you sure you want that number?' I just said, 'Yeah, whatever.' No one really told me at first."

Johnson has watched Arrington's high school highlight tape.

"I think they should retire his number here," Johnson said. "He was unbelievable in high school."

Arrington, now a star linebacker with the Washington Redskins, rushed for 4,357 yards in his career. Johnson has 2,394 and would need almost 2,000 yards this season to catch Arrington.

Johnson rushed for only 704 yards last season at Central Catholic. He played in every game, but only sparingly in some because of ankle injuries. He had 264 yards on 15 carries against a weak Norwin team. That means in the other eight games, he had 440 yards on 99 carries, a 4.4 average.

As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,690 yards, but also missed some time with injuries.

"The first thing I have to prove is that I can go through a whole season without getting hurt," Johnson said. "I also have to prove I can gain large amounts of yards that a lot of other backs have put up, and that I can win a championship."

There is no doubting Johnson's speed. He ran the 40 in 4.22 seconds at a Nike camp this spring. He is the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA 100-meter dash champion. But on the football field, he must prove he's more than fast. He knows some people think he's not tough enough. For the first time in Johnson's high school career, he is playing defense -- at cornerback.

"He's worked hard for us so far," McCurry said. "We have expectations here. There's no slack given. We don't care how much smoke has been blown up your tail, if you're going to be a leader, you have to do it by example."

Johnson doesn't necessarily agree he needs to get tougher.

"I heard that knock, but I think it was more the type of offense we ran at Central. It was more of a finesse type of offense," he said. "But North Hills is more of a 'pound you' offense. That's the kind of back you have to be. The coaches here are pulling everything out of me they possibly can. They're tough, but it's only going to make me better."

North Hills will use the I formation more this year in an effort to better utilize Johnson's talents. When coaches from Miami and Virginia Tech came to North Hills to recruit Johnson, McCurry and his assistants picked their brains about the I formation because those two teams use it.

"I think Andrew has to show everybody his toughness because people question it," McCurry said. "The season will tell a lot about him and Morelli. How far you take your team is the barometer I would use to judge them. LaVar carried us when he was here. We didn't have much of anything else. The true test of any big-time athlete is what they do for their team."

Friendship formed

Johnson and Morelli have become friends. When Morelli committed to Pitt last week, Johnson called him on a cell phone to congratulate him.

The two have much in common. They both play for schools with Hills in their name. Both schools use Indians as their nickname. Both wear red jerseys. And both are reasons for Pitt fans to be happy.

Landing Morelli and Johnson was big for Pitt. It is great for Pitt's image because the Panthers beat Notre Dame, Florida State and Tennessee, among others, to get Morelli. Johnson had narrowed his choices to Pitt and Ohio State.

A few Pitt fans did their best to sway the Penn Hills quarterback, calling him on the phone this summer.

"They would call and say, 'I've had season tickets at Pitt for years. We'd love to have you playing there,' " Morelli said.

A few Pitt fans also wrote Morelli letters.

"They'd write, 'Anthony, we hope you go to Pitt.' They'd even send a picture along, ask me to autograph it and send it back to them," Morelli said.

Morelli must raise his SAT scores to be eligible as a freshman at Pitt. Johnson needs to raise his grades to be eligible next season.

"My first two years at Central, I didn't really do anything in the classroom. I don't even know how I stayed eligible," Johnson said. "Now I know what I have to do. In four or five years, I might be in the NFL. Or I could be one of those guys in 'Where are they now?' If I don't do the classroom work, I might be nowhere. I don't want to be one of those types of stories.

"I've changed a little. I know if something is given to me, I have to make the best of it. I'm still only 16 years old, but I have to grow up."

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